Five Questions with Opens Angler, Chad Grigsby
PARK FALLS, Wis. (March 6, 2025) –The St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley presented by SEVIIN kicks off this morning with three days of scheduled competition, concluding on Saturday, March 8. Daily takeoffs happen at 6:15 a.m. CT from Paris Landing State Park, and weigh-ins are scheduled for 2:15 p.m. CT each day. Bassmaster officials say a full field of 231 anglers will compete the first two days of the event, with just the top ten fishing on Championship Saturday.
A Tennessee River impoundment with over 160,000 surface acres, Kentucky Lake is connected with 58,000-acre Lake Barkley by a canal. The lakes have a storied bass-fishing history – one that is very much still being written today. The rural Kentucky and Tennessee communities along their shores have worked tirelessly with local, state, and federal partners to remove millions of tons of invasive Asian carp over the past decade, restoring the world-class bass fishery that fuels critical economic and community development. High-level competitive bass fishing has returned, and a review of the results of those derbies over the past two years proves that Barkley and Kentucky Lakes are back.
All these waters are fair game for Opens competitors over the next three days. That’s a good thing, says veteran St. Croix Rod and SEVIIN Reels tournament pro, Chad Grigsby, of Maple Grove, Minnesota. We caught up with Chad after a wild final day of practice on Wednesday evening.
Q – Tell me about the crazy conditions you and the rest of the Opens field have been dealing with this week.
A – Practice started on Sunday and it was only 25 degrees. Monday was a little warmer up to high 40s or so, and yesterday it was in the high 60s but blowing like crazy. Today was colder and we had sustained 30 mph winds. I put in at three different ramps today just seeing if I could get anywhere out there. They’ve had a lot of rain the past few weeks and the lake was up about ten feet but they’ve already drawn all that water out and it’s back at winter pool. All that current, runoff, and wind has things really stirred up out there. The rivers are still blowing out mud and there’s a lot of water that isn’t even really fishable… and that water is still really cold. The good news is that there is moving water, there’s a couple hundred thousand acres to choose from, and the weather looks like it might improve.
Q – You did manage to get quite a bit of practice in. What did you learn?
A – As good a job as they’ve done tackling this carp issue, this place still has a lot of them, which makes scoping with live sonar a challenge – at least for me. Not all of the carp are huge and there are some really big bass here, so it’s hard to tell the difference sometimes. I kind of gave up and just started running through pockets of fish and started catching them in a few spots. I’m looking at turns and pockets in classic transition areas, but some of them where I’m finding the most bass are really small. As cold as it seems out there, it’s March, so it definitely won’t be long until the spawn. It’s definitely depth-related right now, and I feel like I’m getting dialed in. I’ve caught largemouth over six pounds and smallmouth up to about four. I’m getting eight or nine keepers a day… a lot of threes with bigger ones thrown in, so I feel good about what I’m on under the circumstances.
Q – What are your goals for the tournament?
Well, the first goal is to catch five every day. I don’t think it’ll be an issue, but you just take one bite at a time because every one is precious when conditions are rough. Staying on top of them is the second challenge. We’ll see what the weather does. If it gets better like it looks like it may, these fish are going to do what they always do… they’re going to move and adjust. The anglers who can capitalize on every bite and stay on top of what the fish are doing will do well at Kentucky Lake. As big as these lakes are, because the water is so dirty, there are going to be a lot of anglers on top of one another. But that’s okay. I never have a problem fishing behind someone… because they aren’t doing what I’m doing, and they may not have been eating when they went through. As long as I’m casting to fish I know I can get bites. Overall, I just want to have a strong finish in the top 20 or 30. I need to make the top 50 in the division so I qualify for the Bassmaster EQ Series at the end of this season. We’ll have new goals if and when that happens.
Q – How are you planning to catch them?
A – I’m keeping things pretty simple… I’m doing most of the damage fishing jigs and crankbaits. I’m fishing the new Black Bass 74HF from St. Croix for the jigs and a Legend Glass 72MM for the crankbaits. Hard to beat a SEVIIN GF Series casting reel for both of these presentations… a 8.1:1 with the jig and a 6.6:1 for the crankbaits. These reels cast like a dream and are completely bulletproof. I just got the new Black Bass rods. I love the tip on the 74HF. I’m moving the jig with the reel and just leaning into them by cranking faster to drive the light wire hook in when that tip moves. That SCIII blank is the deal. I love the new handles and the reel seat nuts on the new Black Bass rods, too, but to be honest, I’ve had gloves on all week, so I’m looking forward to seeing how good they actually feel with my hands. Black Bass also has some 100% glass reaction-bait models, so I’m looking forward to fishing those as well, I just don’t have any of them yet.
Q – What’s it going to take to win at this lake under these conditions?
A – You know, it’s a shame the conditions are as tough as they are, because if they were better, I think you’d see some guys bringing in some big weights. Personally, I haven’t been here since it’s come back after the carp, but I know some recent tournaments have seen some heavy weights. I know there are good fish here because I’ve caught some. I really don’t know what others may land on but hope to have 15-17 pounds a day. I think that’s doable and I’ve been catching mostly largemouth, which I tend to believe may be heavier on average than the smallmouth here.
Follow Chad Grigsby’s progress and the rest of the field’s progress from the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley at bassmaster.com. Bassmaster LIVE will be streaming on bassmaster.com and Roku Sports Channel Saturday, March 8, from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. ET and from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
About St. Croix Rod
Headquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin, St. Croix has been proudly crafting the “Best Rods on Earth” for over 75 years. Combining state-of-the-art manufacturing processes with skilled craftsmanship, St. Croix is the only major producer to still build rods entirely from design through manufacturing. The company remains family-owned and operates duplicate manufacturing facilities in Park Falls and Fresnillo, Mexico. With popular trademarked series such as Legend®, Legend Xtreme®, Avid®, Premier®, Imperial®, Triumph® and Mojo, St. Croix is revered by all types of anglers from around the world. The St. Croix Family of Brands includes St. Croix Rod, SEVIIN Reels, St. Croix Fly, and Rod Geeks.
About SEVIIN Reels
Wherever and however you fish, the reel in your hand should help create better experiences. Born from St. Croix Rod’s seven decades of design and manufacturing expertise, industry-leading customer service, and unbroken private ownership by the Schluter family dating back to 1977, SEVIIN reels are meticulously engineered and purpose-built to help anglers conquer every species on every piece of water on the planet. SEVIIN focuses on reels and reels only, designing and marketing products that improve the angling experience, regardless of the rods anglers choose. Seven seas, seven continents, seven days a week, SEVIIN reels are fueled by a collective love of fishing surpassed only by a passion to deliver the most reliable reels on the water. The St. Croix Family of Brands includes St. Croix Rod, SEVIIN Reels, St. Croix Fly, and Rod Geeks.
